Best Beer in Berlin For Birthday Boy
 

My husband's 62nd birthday is on Monday. He loves beer. I asked the hotel concierge for a suggestion about where to go - and he came up with a wine bar restaurant :rolleyes: . I told him to cancel the reservation.

I don't know whether we'll be having our main meal at lunch - or dinner - or some other time (we're arriving Sunday and will still be jet-lagged). But I definitely want my husband to get some great beer on his birthday. I realize this might be a controversial topic among beer lovers :) - but all suggestions are appreciated. For what it's worth - my husband really likes hoppy beers and dark beers. He hates wheat beers.

I realize that Monday is a holiday - so some places might be closed. Robyn

Hey,

how about asking for a "Brauhaus/brewery" (they usally do their own beer and serve the popular ones and most likely local draft beer)

Since I don`t know where you staying you could ask your concierge again for some brewery located nearby.

One that is near Alexanderplatz is Georgbräu, if wheather is nice it might be crowded since this part of town is very popular amongst travellers.

You shouldn't have any problems with closed restaurants that day.

ask your concierge for a "Brauhaus/brewery" nearby. They normally brew their own beer, serve the popular ones and have local draft beer.


Bee :)

Hi Bee - We'll be staying at the Ritz Carlton. It's at Potsdamer Platz. Doesn't look like there is much sun in the weather forecast for next week :( . On the other hand - there are so many wonderful museums - stores - and other indoor things to do that I don't think the weather will be a problem. Robyn

Hey,

there's a little brewery at "potsdamer platz" just arround the corner:
http://linden-hopfinger-braeu.de/ . But I would'nt recommend this for two beers or more. If you are lucky with the weather, http://www.eschenbraeu.de/ (sorry, only in german. its a beergarten with selfmade beer) is a nice place to be - And brews its own beer as well!

BTW: In Berlin you will be absolutly fine to buy a a bottle (of beer) at a liitle store for take away and enjoy it on the street. After done some walking with it you'll feel quite well.

Berlin loves beer and problably beer loves Berlin! Enjoy it.

More likely that we'd buy some bottles and drink them in the hotel :). From the looks of it - we will have a lot of rain next week.

For what it's worth - if you drink a beer on the street or the beach here - you can get arrested. Guess Germany is very different! Robyn

Lindenbraeu and Georgbraeu are good suggestions. Georgbraeu is right on the Spree River in the Nikolai Quarter. In nice weather, it's fun to watch the boats go by. If the weather is NOT nice, they have a cozy little indoor tavern. Take the S-Bahn from Potsdamer Platz to Alexanderplatz and it's 5 minutes walk.

Lindenbraeu is a modern two-story glass-wall place in the Sony Center right around the corner from you at Potsdamer Platz. It's fun to watch the crowds of tourists under the spectacular glass roof, from the 2nd floor of the Lindenbraeu. But the atmosphere inside is more Munich than Berlin.

For a more authentic Berlin, old style experience, try out Zur letzten Instanz, said to be Berlin's oldest tavern (from 1621) at Waisenstrasse 14-16. Not only Berlin suds but also food delicacies like Eisbein (pig's knuckle) are featured in this dark, cozy - and smoky - tavern. Take the U-Bahn from Potsdamer Platz to Klosterstasse.

Yes, you can buy yourself a beer and drink it anywhere in Berlin, inside or outside. No fear for the law. If the weather does turn out to be nice, try the urban beaches - Strandbad Mitte or the Bundespressestrand, where you can sit in a beach chair in the sand and drink your beer in the sunshine. Or the bank of the Spree River right in front of the Chancellory (near Hauptbahnhof) where thousands of people collect on warm nights and sit out drinking beer from the outdoor kiosks and bars there. It's called Ludwig-Erhardt-Ufer.

Hope you DO get some nice weather. Right now it's very hot and humid. Feels like Bangkok.

I just had a beer at a very fine brew pub, the Brauhaus Lemke. The Pils was much better than that of Georgbraeu or Lindenbraeu, sort of a crisp, clean taste. They also offer a sampler of four of their beers for about €3.50. Nice roomy place with a big garden. It's near Hackesche Markt S-Bahn station. Cross the street and, following Dirksenstrasse along the tracks in the direction of Alexanderplatz, it's the first place on the right, actually in the arches underneath the S-Bahn tracks.

I believe I have THE place for your husband. In the Potsdamer Platz quarter there is a restaurant with about 100 different brands of beer, several of them on tap. The food is very German and for sure not upscale, but you can give your husband a very good beer evening. The place is called Mommseneck and it is on Alte Potsdamer Straße, three minutes from your hotel:

http://www.mommseneck.de/homepage.html

Of course, the ORIGINAL one is here:

http://www.mommsen-eck.de/

Thanks, I was looking for that but did not consider that a simple "-" would do the trick. :p

For robyng is has the disadvantage that it is no longer in walking distance from the Ritz-Carlton. Can it be that food in "the original" is even "more German"?

Beer Binge in Berlin
 

Just a word of advice for you beer-guzzling crowd. Normally, we Germans do not drink beer out of bottles. It is considered low-class and construction-worker style. We prefer a freshly drafted beer in a GLASS with a froth.
Robyng's recommendiation of the House of 1000 beers is correct, but the food is even poorer than at Potsdamer Platz. I live close by.
If you want genuine and good Bio-food (without any additives) go to Franziskaner Hof a few hundred yards down Wilmersdorfer Strasse and they are also serving their own brand of beer. They have their own slaughtery house in Brandenburg and are selling meat in a part of their property there.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend either branch of the Mommseneck.

Well, it gives you the best choice of beer in Berlin and it close to their hotel. And both were prerequisites for the OP. They are staying 100 yards from there so they are free to pop in and leave again if they do not fancy it. It is a touristy place but for sure neither crap, nor dangerous or even bad.

My favorites beer(s) from Germany are any number of the weiss beers from Bavaria. The main brands that come to mind are Hacker-Pschorr, Franziskaner, and Paulaner. IMO, they are the best tasting beers in the world. Though they are brewed in Munich, you should have no problem finding them in Berlin.

Too late, but I would actually suggest a plane ticket to Munich for the best German beer experience. :) Especially if the weather is good. Nothing beats a good beer in the sunshine, with a Brezn and possibly some Landjäger.

SmilingBoy.